Pointed at the Enemy
by Picklejar399
Summary: Jaune thought discovering his semblance would be one of the best days of his life. He thought wrong. Now, everything dear to him will be challenged as he steadily grows closer to the sniper from Vacuo.
1. Arc I: Chapter 1

Blake cast her friend a side-long glance. "Are you sure Jaune will be alright without you there?"

Her partner shrugged and took a sip of her strawberry sunrise. "I'm sure he's fine."

* * *

Goddammit, he'd never been less fine in his life. And where the hell was Yang? Was whatever she was doing more important than coaching him during his match? He tried to remember whether she had mentioned a reason she wouldn't make it but couldn't recall anything. If she was out drinking with Blake again instead of supporting him, he would never let her hear the end of it.

Stupid Yang.

His momentary lapse in judgment was rewarded with a swift strike to the gut. He growled in frustration, lashing out haphazardly and forcing the young man to leap backward. How had his opponent known his one weakness was where he didn't have any armor? And why did he still not have any armor there?

"Focus on the fight at hand, Mr. Arc," Professor Goodwitch commanded in a tone that left no room for argument.

He gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

To his relief, the other team leader seemed to recognize he had zoned out and had decided against taking any cheap shots. Now, however, he was on the offensive once more. Their blades collided, and Jaune felt his arms shaking trying to hold back the blows raining down upon him.

"You can do it, Jaune!"

He sighed in response, knowing that Ruby was completely sincere in her belief in him—her belief that he could do anything he set his mind to. He hated that he always let her down.

Parrying a blow, the blonde sword fighter managed to land a knee into the young man's stomach. Smiling in satisfaction at returning a blow like the one he received earlier, Jaune stepped back into a stance which brought his shield to the forefront. After all, he had learned from having been defeated so many times that an all-out offense would only lead to his own demise. When his opponent dramatically exhaled and collapsed to his knee, however, Jaune felt the smile slip from his face. Perhaps he had been mistaken earlier about neglecting the whole offense thing. A downed opponent who had dropped their weapon was basically a win handed to him on a silver platter; he would be a fool not to take it.

Forgoing any sense of his training, Jaune rushed his opponent his blade flailing at his side and his shield discarded. His shield would only weigh him down, and this could be his one shot. With a grin once again in place, the blonde swordsman raised his weapon above his head, briefly considering how sweet his first victory would taste. When his sword suddenly flung itself across the room, Jaune found himself at a loss. Had his opponent tricked him with some kind of crazy, awesome semblance? Before he could even consider the implications, a searing pain shot through the back of his head. Following this, his body slammed into the floor and his vision swam with ever-enclosing darkness.

The last thing Jaune saw were two pairs of eyes. One pair was silver and filled with worry, while the other pair was emerald and filled with disbelief.


	2. Arc I: Chapter 2

**Just wanted to thank everyone who read the first chapter. I likely won't be doing too many author notes in the future, but I did want to let everyone know how much I appreciate their support (reviews, follows, alerts, and just reading the damn thing!). Furthermore, I wanted to discuss my New Year's resolution and how it will affect this story. See, I love writing but have never been great at sticking with a project or even writing consistently. Thus, I decided to write at least 250 words every single day (which is not much for most, but I'm a super slow writer). Yes, every single day. As such, I will be posting short chapters often to keep up my motivation, and then possibly combining them later as I continue on. Not certain on the exact details just yet, but that is the plan for now. I'd have liked to say this was for a cool, story-driven reason like College Fool did for A Common Criminal. Unfortunately, it's due more to my bad habit of procrastination. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy.**

* * *

With glaring colors refusing to come into focus, Jaune rapidly blinked his eyes. Unfortunately, this was to little avail since everything remained distorted. And whoever was shaking his shoulders certainly wasn't helping the matter.

"Look, Ruby, he's up!"

"Yang"—a red blur darted over to a seat next to the very annoying yellow blur—"you shouldn't be shaking him! He's in the infirmary for a reason!"

Yang brushed off her sister's concern with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. Right, Vomit Boy?"

He was starting to think Yang had no idea what the word 'fine' meant. Mumbling to himself about how incomprehensible some girls were (namely her), Jaune adjusted his pillow so he could sit up. Upon achieving this, the room spun around him and brought with it a sudden influx of pain. Rubbing his temples until it subsided, he grazed the uneven bandages wrapped around his head.

Yang leaned in closer to the boy. "Like that? I wrapped it myself."

His brow furrowed. "Who let you do that?"

She wore a shit-eating grin. "The nurse said it wasn't that bad of an injury, so I asked if I could bandage it. After that, she practically begged me to do her job for her."

Ruby snorted. "More like you pestered her until she gave in."

"Semantics, my dear sister."

Another snort emitted from the huntress-in-training before she turned to stare at him. "Are you really ok?"

While the room had ceased spinning, and everything looked a lot less blurry, he was rather close to living up to his nickname of Vomit Boy. There was no way he was going to burden Ruby with that knowledge, though. Instead, he grinned at her. "Never better. And the old Arc charm finally seems to be working now too because, when I woke up, there were two beautiful ladies waiting for me."

The intended effect was immediate, with the girl's cheeks turning as red as her beloved cloak. Yang, on the other hand, simply chuckled. "That head injury's made you pretty bold, flirting with me and my underage sister."

Cue the mortified "Yang!" from Ruby, and he was the one blushing now. "Y-yeah, whatever."

She flipped her golden locks over her shoulder. "You know, if you were as smooth with the Ice Queen as you are with Rubes over there"—Yang pointed to her sister who was intensely studying the wall—"she might accept your invitation to the dance."

Lighting up like a kid on holiday, the swordsman asked, "You really think she'd—"

A cough from across the room cut him off mid-sentence. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything."


	3. Arc I: Chapter 3

**Small edit to the last chapter because it was brought to my attention (thanks EiNyx** ) **that I had made Jaune OOC. The edit doesn't change anything plot-wise, it just hopefully brings him closer to being more like himself. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

The room fell silent except for the small 'eep' that escaped from Ruby's lips. Ignoring their discomfort, Ozpin took deliberate strides over to the teens, cane grasped firmly in one hand and his prized coffee mug in the other. He stopped inches away from the foot of the bed and took a swig of coffee. While he drank, he glanced over each one of them, his gaze lingering the longest on the swordsman. Jaune couldn't help but shudder under the eyes that had seen much more than the headmaster's age suggested.

The man finally turned away. "Are you cold, Mr. Arc? Should I fetch you another blanket?"

He shook his head. "No thank you, sir."

"I see." Another long sip of coffee followed. "In that case, are you well enough for a brief discussion?"

The blonde brawler glared and crossed her arms. "You can't do that! He just—"

Ozpin held up a hand to silence her complaint. "While I appreciate your concern for your friend, Ms. Xiao-Long, I was asking Mr. Arc, not you."

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish deprived of water, but no sounds emerged. Jaune would have laughed at her had the mood been lighter, but with Ruby nervously looking between Ozpin and her sister, he decided it best to answer. "I can, as long as our conversation is short." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm a bit tired."

"I assure you, it will be." He turned to face the half-sisters. "I'm afraid I must ask the two of you to leave us."

Ruby nodded, rising from her seat and casting Yang a meaningful glance. Even through her anger, the message reached her loud and clear. The girl stood up, her chair scraping across the tile floor behind her, and fell in stride beside Beacon's prodigy. Without so much as a farewell, the duo exited the infirmary. That was probably for the best, Jaune consoled himself, considering Yang was a ticking time-bomb ready to go off at any moment.

Ozpin deposited himself in the chair Yang had been sitting in. "Let's begin, then."


	4. Arc I: Chapter 4

The headmaster set his mug of coffee on the armrest and folded his hands in his lap. "You realize you sustained your injuries during the leadership combat course, correct?"

Jaune nodded in response.

Ozpin mirrored the action. "In that case, do you know how you were injured?"

Jaune was already getting annoyed playing twenty questions with the man. Why couldn't he just be more direct about the information he desired?

"I got hurt fighting the leader of CDAR," Jaune said.

"Is that so?" Ozpin tapped the side of his shoe with his cane a few times, looking like he was pondering the best way to phrase something. "Glynda was the one who put you in this state, and for that, she sends her deepest regards."

Eyebrows raised in confusion, the boy sputtered. "Wh-why would she do that?"

"Because you were about to land a finishing blow on an opponent deplete of Aura."

His heart skipped a beat. He had broken the rules of a match? No, there was no way. Impossible. All he did was manage to knee him once in the stomach.

Taking a ragged breath, Jaune replied, "You're wrong."

Ozpin sighed before walking over to the window and pulling the curtains aside to display an overcast day. Rain trickled down the pane, while the man scanned the skies. Jaune remained uncertain whether he found what he sought, but he seemed satisfied when a crow cawed from somewhere off in the distance. "You may not wish to believe it, but it is indeed the truth."

"How?"

Without missing a beat, the reply came. "Your semblance."

Such an answer shook him to the core. He had thought discovering his semblance would be one of the happiest days of his life. This was anything but.

* * *

 **Not sure if I'll post the next chapter tomorrow or the day after. I have it all written out, but I'm going to be short on time tomorrow and am not certain whether I'll have the opportunity to edit it. We'll see, I guess. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Arc I: Chapter 5

**So sorry this came out as late as it did. I had forgotten my birthday was on Saturday, and I ended up celebrating with friends and family on Friday and Saturday. This translated into leaving me without any time to edit or write. I'm back on track now, though, and will continue more frequent uploads. As usual, any and all feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy!**

* * *

He whispered so softly he barely heard himself. "What is my semblance exactly?"

"Aura Amplification. You imbued your knee in Aura, which resulted in, what I have gleaned from various retellings, your opponent's Aura dropping to nothing." Ozpin put a finger to his chin. "The downside being, of course, that you used up about a third of your Aura in a single attack."

Aura Amplification, huh? That sounded awfully familiar. As a kid, he hadn't always given his full attention to his grandpa when he recounted tales of the past; yet, he could have sworn one of those stories had featured an ancestor in the Arc lineage who had a similar semblance.

Such a thought slipped out before he could stop himself. "Do you know if one of my ancestors had a semblance like mine?"

The headmaster hummed to himself. "I'm uncertain. The library might have the answers you seek, though."

Jaune nodded, already planning to visit once he had free time. Where would he even search though? Newspapers? Textbooks? Old anthologies? He'd have to ask either Blake or Weiss before starting to research on his own.

Amidst getting lost in his thoughts, Jaune hadn't noticed Ozpin return to his seat. The man leaned back in the chair and took a drink of coffee. "I'm hesitant to divulge this information to you, however, I have deemed it to be vital for your continued safety. You are going to be watched very closely from now on, Mr. Arc." The boy chuckled weakly at this until realizing the headmaster was serious. "While certainly not something I condone, I have little say in the matter. James—General Ironwood—has ordered the Atlesian military to report every move you make back to himself and Specialist Schnee."

"Why? Why would he be so interested in me? I'm nobody."

"I believe Ms. Nikos already mentioned this to you, but your Aura reserve is rather impressive. In fact, I could count the number of Huntsman who have more Aura than you on one hand." Ozpin uncrossed his legs. "Being blessed with such a gift makes your semblance incredibly potent. And that was enough for my dear friend to label you a threat."

His fingernails dug into his palms in an attempt to remain calm. "I don't even know how to control it."

"But you could learn, and that's why you're a danger."


	6. Arc I: Chapter 6

Jaune pondered whether it was utter naivety fueling his hope of this being a bad dream. Any minute now, he'd be waking up to the aroma of pancakes wafting in from the kitchen. There he'd find Ren wearing his 'please do nothing to the cook' apron, Nora shoveling food down her throat, and Pyrrha smiling and wishing everyone a good morning. He would shake his head like usual at the scene before telling them about what a crazy dream he had last night.

Reality had no intention of living up to his imagination, though.

Jaune slumped down his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Numerous tiles lined it, more than enough to occupy his brief stay counting. And count them he did, if only to spite the man who sat there in quietness studying him. Being labeled a danger had rung hollow earlier. Now, Jaune could see it in how not a single move he made escaped the watch of the headmaster.

Had it been wrong of him to expect different from Ozpin? To have faith that he would vouch for the character of his student over the fears of an old friend?

The man cleared his throat, drawing the swordsman's ire to him. "Unfortunately, I am the bearer of more upsetting news. You will be stripped of your leadership position and removed from your team for the foreseeable future."

"What the hell for?" Jaune's hands curled into fists, tightly squeezing the blankets. He knew he was letting his temper get the best of him, but today had been nothing less than a shit show, and he was at the end of his rope.

"Attacking an opponent below fifteen percent of their Aura meter."

"You know that wasn't my fault!"

"Indeed, I do." His cane tapped against the floor twice. "Irrespective, rules are in place for a reason. You will be asked to move to one of our guest lodgings once you are discharged."

Jaune was fuming. He wanted to tell Ozpin and General Ironwood to kindly fuck off. He wanted to yell at Professor Goodwitch for not stopping the match earlier. But mostly, he wanted to return to the start of the day when he didn't have a semblance, when he didn't have to worry about people watching him, and when he was still the leader of Team JNPR.

"I am truly sorry to burden you with all this." Ozpin paused, likely waiting for a response; he received none. "If you ever need anything do not hesitate to stop by my office. Have a speedy recovery, Mr. Arc."

Jaune rolled over in his bed to face toward the window and threw the covers over his head. He'd be damned if he let the man see him crying like this. Only once the echoes of footsteps disappeared did Jaune allow himself to relax. Taking a deep breath, he wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He then pulled the covers down to his neck, shut his eyes, and tried to block out everything. Eventually, the pitter-patter of the rain lulled him to sleep.

* * *

 **Quick scheduling update: I will be posting a chapter every two to three days, dependent on the word count. I have been enjoying combining two shorter chapters into a longer chapter (500+ words), and they seem to flow better too. This also affords me more opportunities to edit, which is another time-consuming endeavor. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Arc I: Chapter 7

**I apologize for releasing this a day late, but for this chapter to make sense I had to extend some scenes, which brought it to over 800 words—much longer than I had anticipated.** **Regardless, enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy!**

* * *

"Up and at 'em, boss!"

The boy woke with a start when a heavy, pink mass jumped on top of him. Moving beyond the worry that his ribs had fractured and would extend his stay, he attempted to nudge the girl off him. Needless to say, she didn't budge an inch.

"Nora, get off," he groaned.

"No can do."

Jaune rolled his eyes. Did anyone around here have respect for the injured?

"That's enough, Nora. You should have let him sleep."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the crushing weight was alleviated from his poor chest. The girl stood next to Ren, explaining how she had only wanted to check on their fearless leader and making elaborate gesticulations to go along with it. Ren—always the patient one—sighed, chuckled, and sometimes patted her head. How those two were still not together-together had to be one of the greatest mysteries of modern Remnant.

A meek wave from his partner caught his attention. "How are you feeling?"

He forced out a laugh. "Really tired. And crushed, thanks to a certain someone."

Nora merely huffed, then continued chatting like she was never interrupted in the first place. Ren, for his part, mouthed a 'sorry' to Jaune, who brushed it off, already used to the girl's antics.

Turning back to the giggling red-head, he noticed the faint beads of sweat covering her forehead; Jaune could only assume she had been training earlier. Occasionally, he imagined himself sparring and growing right alongside her. In the end, though, such silly thoughts were always cast aside. At his current skill level, he would do nothing but slow the Invincible Girl down.

"Do I smell?" she asked. "Sorry, I figured I would weightlift before coming over here and seeing if you were awake."

"N-no. You smell fine. I just zoned out," he replied.

"Oh, it seemed like you were staring is all."

"My bad, my bad." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, casting around for something to say. "How was Vale?"

Pyrrha smiled. "I had a wonderful time! The play was quite splendid! Although, I do feel bad that you couldn't join us."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not too big a fan of plays, anyways."

Besides, he couldn't fathom how they managed to make Nora sit still for the duration of the show. He could only guess it had to do with a copious amount of bribes, in combination with Ren's presence.

Speaking of Nora, she had halted her conversation with her partner, and slammed her hands down on the foot of the bed. "So, what's up with your Semblance?"

There it was. The question he had been dreading since his team arrived. He could feel everyone staring at him, and, for a moment, the swordsman considered running away. To where? He hadn't the foggiest idea. But that wasn't the point, was it? Jaune may have been ignorant about Aura before arriving at Beacon, but he knew all about Semblances. His grandfather had told him their nature represented an aspect of a person's character. So, what did it say about him that his Semblance not only hurt others but also himself?

"I have a lot of things I need to talk to you guys about," Jaune sighed, "but just not today, alright? I still need to sort some stuff out."

"I see no issue with that. Let's talk tomorrow," Pyrrha agreed and started to leave, sensing his need to be alone.

He smiled brightly at her. "You're the best."

Ren nodded his agreement prior to telling his energetic partner to come along. Then, he turned to the boy in the infirmary bed. "Get well soon."

"Thanks, man."

On her way out, Nora shouted an enthusiastic, "See ya later!" Of course, she chose to do this while walking past the nurse's office. The door flung open and the nurse launched into a lecture about respecting her patients' need for rest. By the end of it, she could do nothing except stare at the floor and mumble an endless string of apologies.

Jaune couldn't help it. He ended up laughing loudly enough to turn the nurse's wrath onto himself. Even so, he didn't regret it. It was nice having a team that cared about him.

When he closed his eyes for the third time that day (figuring he might as well count being knocked out as well), the swordsman found sleep would not come easy. He soon found himself wide awake and staring out the window. The sky was no longer overcast, permitting the stars to dazzle onlookers with their beauty.

Everything seemed a little brighter like that.


	8. Arc I: Chapter 8

That next morning, the nurse discharged the blonde teenager after a quick check of his injuries and Aura. Ahead of returning to her office, she pleaded with him to convince Yang to remain on the path of becoming a Huntress, never allowing her to stray into medicine. He chuckled at that, promising he would do his best.

While it was nice to stretch his legs and remove the poorly wrapped bandages from around his head, Jaune couldn't say he was happy about leaving the infirmary. Yet, he knew he couldn't delay the inevitable forever. Time to suck it up and face the music. His team needed to know what was going on.

His legs felt like they were made of lead, and he could've sworn his shoes were on the wrong foot (unlikely since they were labeled). Trudging past Team RWBY's dorm meant he was mere feet away from his own. What was formerly his own, anyway. He rapped his knuckles against the door, heart pounding like mad in his ears. Ren answered, smiling, and moved aside to allow his leader—former leader—inside. "Welcome back."

Jaune gave a weak grin in return. "It's good to be—"

Nora slammed into his side, letting out a wail. "Jaune, tell me Ozpin was joking! You don't really have to leave, right?" She sniffled and tightened her grip on his sweatshirt. "I don't care if you're not our leader anymore! Stay here!"

He stood there, speechless. This was not how he expected the conversation to go. Luckily, Ren grabbed the girl by her hand and gently guided her into the study. His voice remained quiet and calm, but anyone who knew the young man understood there was a sense of urgency to it. Hence, why there had not been a peep from Nora.

"Well, surprise?" Pyrrha murmured with a smile faker than when she posed for Pumpkin Pete's cereal.

At this point, Jaune was debating whether it would be worth getting expelled to punch the headmaster in the face. Honestly, it was a pretty appealing option.

"Seems the cat's out of the bag." Jaune mentally noted to avoid using that expression around Blake.

The grin dropped from her face. "We did plan on waiting for you to tell us. It's just Nora is excitable."

Sweeping his bangs to the side, the swordsman said, "Don't worry about it. Would you guys mind doing me a favor, though?"

"Anything."

"Help me move my stuff into my new room?"

She turned her back to him, already beginning to gather his possessions in her arms. "…Of course."

As Jaune followed suit, he couldn't help but wonder what she had expected him to ask.

* * *

Lugging all his stuff across campus had been easier than expected. He didn't have much to begin with, besides an extensive collection of X-Ray and Vav merchandise that had only grown since his enrollment at Beacon. His and Ruby's weekly visits to downtown Vale were to thank for that. It was too bad they hadn't been able to make the trip yesterday.

When Team JNPR arrived in front of the unfamiliar residence hall, Ren walked to the front of the group. Since Ren didn't have much to carry, he had opted to hold onto Jaune's Scroll for him. A quick flourish of the Scroll resulted in a click, as the locking mechanism released itself. Holding the door open for the others, the three crowded into the lobby, Ren bringing up the rear. After explaining the gist of the situation to the receptionist, the woman guided them to the room Ozpin had reserved for Jaune. Once they arrived, she bowed and left them.

Jaune felt sick to his stomach when his teammate held his Scroll against the sensor on the wall. They filed in, one by one, their motion triggering the overhead lights to come on.

Surveying the room yielded little of interest. The walls were the blandest shade of white one could imagine. At the very least, it provided ample space for him to hang his posters. Beyond that, there were two beds, each on opposite sides of the lodging, and with an oak nightstand nearby. A bookshelf was pushed up against a small closet in the back, which oddly enough, had the door wide open.

Jaune walked to the closet and peered inside. Articles of clothing were strewn around, along with a pair of—what did Ruby call them?—combat boots. "Do you think someone else lives here?"

Ren shrugged. "It's a possibility."

Nora went over to see what the fuss was about, then snorted upon seeing the feminine clothes lining the hangers. "Looks like we'll get to see how dense Jaune can be around another girl."

Pyrrha huffed and unceremoniously dropped his belongings into a heap on the bed. The trio took that as their cue to begin putting things away. The boy wanted to ask Nora what she had meant by her earlier statement but decided against it; that was a can of worms he had the common sense to avoid opening. He had enough worries anyway, trying to figure out the best way to tell his team about his Semblance.


	9. Arc I: Chapter 9

While expected, Jaune was nonetheless surprised with how fast the move had been. To so easily erase his presence from his dormto this room, it made him feel...expendable. Still, at least there was a bright spot in how he had managed to discuss his Semblance with his team.

* * *

 _"So, you're basically telling me that your Semblance is completely overpowered?" Nora asked._

 _Jaune_ _sighed. "Not in so many words..."_

 _"That's so cool! What were you worried about? That we'd be jealous or something?"_

 _No, that had to be the last thing on Remnant he was worried about. He was more concerned his teammates would view him as a freak. Because, honestly, no normal soul would manifest something this twisted._

 _"Jaune," Ren started, "I understand your apprehension, but it's nice you trusted us enough to tell us anyway. And, you have nothing to worry about. Every Semblance is fueled by Aura; yours simply uses more than most."_

 _For real? How had his grandpa neglected to tell him such an important piece of information? The old man was going to get a piece of his mind when he returned to Ansel. He turned to Pyrrha to get her opinion on the matter, but, of course, her back was to him. Did she listen to a single word he said? He wanted to shout at her to garner some sort of reaction but thought better of it._

 _Perhaps, like an old rock song he used to listen to proclaimed, two out of three ain't bad._

* * *

They left soon afterward, and he took a nap (seemed to be a common theme recently). When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. Then, he recalled this was his room. Well, not really. _His_ room was back with his friends on the main campus. In comparison, this felt more like a forced vacation in a sucky motel.

When the screen on his Scroll lit up, the blonde student continued to ignore the texts asking him to come over and hang out. Well, he had been ignoring the invitations from two of his teammates since it was still radio silence from Pyrrha. Was she upset that he had to switch rooms? Because if that was the case, the girl was being unfair. He didn't want to be away from his team.

He hated it here.

* * *

 **Sorry, I haven't been posting. I wasn't feeling well. Don't worry, though, I used that time to plan out the rest of Arc I. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to finish the entirety of this chapter, so I will post again tomorrow. Also, I've decided that once I am done with the rest of this arc, I will be restructuring the chapters. Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and reviewed! Enjoy the next installment in Pointed at the Enemy!**

 **(Ree-Dur: I promise there is a reason Jaune was placed into that particular room.)**


	10. Arc I: Chapter 10

He rolled onto his side, glancing at his vibrating Scroll. Instead of another message, there was a breaking news alert. Though he was tempted to ignore it, his innate curiosity won out in the end. Tapping on the alert, he was taken to a video of four teenage girls standing in front of a giant robot.

That was enough to pique his interest.

He turned up the volume to hear Lisa Lavender speaking. "So far, there have been numerous injuries and at least two deaths reported from the crashes the mecha caused. As you can see, it is now at a stand-still after being knocked off the upper level of the highway by a Huntress. That Huntress has since been joined by her team, all of whom have assumed combat stances." The mechanized battlesuit stomped toward the colorful ensemble. "And here are the first signs of movement. Copter 2, zoom in."

When the camera zoomed in, Jaune could hardly believe it. These weren't licensed Huntresses fighting a giant robot. This was goddamn Team RWBY fighting a goddamn giant robot! And, at this moment, they were launching some attack called 'Freezer Burn.' Although it was admittedly a dumb name, the boy couldn't argue with results. Yang destroying the ice patch Weiss made had caused the entire area to be covered in a thick mist. Multiple lasers from the mecha were scanning every which direction, trying to seek out its enemies. That was when Jaune noticed the White Fang emblem emblazoned on its shoulder. Did whatever was happening right now have to do with the incident at the docks from earlier in the semester? He couldn't be certain, but he did feel certain of one thing.

Team RWBY had done it this time.

Sure, they had their share of problems in the past like a struggle over leadership, Blake running away, the aforementioned dock incident, and the food fight to end all food fights; however, those felt like minor hiccups compared to this. Somebody would be leaving this fight seriously injured. Or worse. God, he hoped it wouldn't end up worse.

He watched the rest of the broadcast, unblinking, until he was certain they were safe. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Jaune shot a text to Yang and Ruby. Then, knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep with all the recent excitement, he began to play some games on his Scroll. During his impromptu gaming session, the blonde teenager kind of expected his roommate to show up since it was nearing curfew. She (he?) didn't.

That was fine with him, though. He wanted to be alone.


	11. Arc I: Chapter 11

Jaune stifled a yawn, once again regretting not getting enough sleep last night. He also regretted coming to Professor Peach's class and hearing all the murmurs about him. Monster this, cheater that—would they all just shut up and worry about themselves? They weren't exactly the innocent parties they pretended to be. He began to pick out random students from the rows in front of him. He's an alcoholic, she cheated on her boyfriend, she's racist against the Faunus, and he beat his partner to a bloody pulp. See, look at all the shit he knew. Yet, his mouth wasn't blabbing on and on, starting rumors about them.

Still, it was fine because his teammates had his back. Nora threatened to break the legs of anyone straying too close, while Ren guaranteed she would make good on her promise. He was grateful for that and felt bad for lying to them about his Scroll being dead last night. The swordsman felt even worse when Ren sent him a knowing glance as he lied through his teeth.

By the time lunch rolled around, Jaune had gotten pretty used to the unwanted attention. After all, he had survived bullying from Cardin and his lackies. This was almost tolerable in comparison. And a lot less physically painful.

Thus, his biggest struggle in the moment was keeping his head from falling atop his lunch. Where was Nora when you needed her crazy rambling to keep you awake? He raised his gaze from his lunch tray to find her sitting next to Ren. Actually, next to would be an understatement. She was smooshed up against him, pinning his arm to his side and making eating an arduous task for the poor boy. Still, the constant patience he demonstrated when dealing with his best friend was admirable. As Jaune observed his teammates, he thought he caught the eye of his partner, so he waved. She looked away without hesitation, and, once again, the distance between them felt insurmountable. It hurt knowing she sat further away from him than even Weiss did—the same girl whose scowl became a permanent feature anytime he neared.

He sighed. Something had to give between them. Soon.

* * *

 **Let me just start by saying I'm sorry for how long this took me to put out there, and that the next chapter (700 words+) will be posted tomorrow. Life is busy, but that's no excuse. Remember when I said I'm a slow writer, though? Well, I didn't factor editing into that, which probably takes me double of the time it took me to write it. Whatever, I'll figure it out eventually. Thanks to all my readers!**

 **(Thanks for the review Langas, it made my day!)**


	12. Arc I: Chapter 12

**Thank you justjustin3099 for the honest feedback. As a result, I will be moving away from my more haphazard schedule to posting a weekly chapter on Wednesday. This gives me a consistent upload schedule, results in a much longer chapter, and allows me to focus more of my efforts on writing and less on editing a small section over and over (until all I'm doing is driving myself insane and making the same changes to it). So, this will be the last chapter I post on any other day than Wednesday (except during a break potentially). Enjoy and remember that any and all support is appreciated!**

* * *

Yang leaned across the table, jabbing her finger into his chest. "Jaune? Jaune? Remnant to Jaune, do you read me?"

This elicited some chuckles from Ruby, Ren, and Nora. Blake probably would have laughed too if she hadn't been so engrossed in her novel. Weiss, on the other hand, found her nails more interesting than any conversation involving him.

He blinked rapidly. "Sorry, Yang. What were you saying?"

"I said, what'd you think of our team moves?"

"I'd be less concerned with your team moves, and more concerned with how much trouble you guys are in."

A cocky grin crossed her face. "None. Ozpin pulled some strings, so Team RWBY's in the clear."

Jaune's mouth fell wide open. Had his mom been present, she would have yelled at him to shut his trap to not let all the flies in. Flies be damned, though—along with a certain headmaster. It was apparent that rules were only enforced when it suited the man.

Jaune found himself taking a deep breath, then answered. "I guess my favorite was Freezerburn or whatever."

"Hell, yeah! Pay up, Blake." Without glancing up from the page, the Faunus pulled a wad of Lien from her pocket and stuffed it into the blonde's anticipating hand.

Was this some sort of betting pool? Jaune could only shake his head in disbelief. Leave it to Team RWBY to fight a giant robot with goofy team moves, and then bet on which one was coolest.

Nora let go of Ren to give Jaune the stink eye. "You seem to know an awful lot about what happened even though your Scroll died."

Both sisters shot him a strange look. Crap, that's right. He had sent them a text message last night inquiring about their well-being and berating them for their idiocy. In fact, Yang would have likely blurted something out had her younger sister not covered her mouth. This prompted the other to stare, to which she blushed and giggled awkwardly. Typical Ruby behavior really, so no one felt the need to question it further.

"I watched it on the tv in the common area," he said.

Nora appeared unconvinced but jumped into her next inquiry. "Did your roommate show up?"

That seemed to capture the attention of their sister team. Even Blake and Weiss paused their activities to listen in.

"Did you move or something?" Ruby asked.

Jaune groaned. "Yes, I did. And, no, she didn't."

Yang smiled like a predator seconds away from catching its prey, and looked to Nora, expecting her to spill the beans. To the girl's credit, she demonstrated great restraint. First, she looked at Jaune. Then, she looked at Yang. Then, back at Jaune. And, then it all came tumbling out. "Ozpin's being a real meanie and kicked Jaune out of our room for no reason, and now our fearless leader is living with some girl on the other side of campus."

While half of Team RWBY was indifferent, the other half was very much upset—Yang especially. She slammed her fist down on the table, rattling the trays and their contents. Her little display turned some heads, but she continued cursing without reservation. "Damn it! Where does he get off separating you from your own team?"

The blonde teenager only sighed. "Let it go, Yang. There's nothing we can do, anyways."

"Of course, there is!"

While Yang's outburst had been expected, this one was anything but. Pyrrha was shaking, her chest heaving in and out, and hands curled into fists. It was hard to miss how her silverware had bent out of shape too. "We have tried nothing! Absolutely nothing! Yet, you gave up without a fight. I expected better from you as our leader! I expected better from you as my friend!"

The chiming of the bell hardly registered with Jaune as he watched his partner sprint away from the cafeteria. He wanted to go after her. Wanted to stop her. Wanted to say something to make her understand. But he didn't. He just sat there with his head in his hands. Moping. Because that's the kind of guy he was.

"Go on without me for now, ok?"

Nora shot him a concerned look, but Ren ushered her away after patting Jaune on the back. While the rest of Team RWBY dispersed without issue, their leader continued to linger until Yang told her to go ahead. He knew Ruby didn't want to but also knew she couldn't say no when Yang used her big sister voice. Even her puppy-dog eyes failed against such a tactic.

With only Yang left, and a few stragglers at other tables, she walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "You have the shittiest luck, Vomit Boy."

"Don't I know it."

The blonde brawler pulled him into a hug. "If you need someone to talk to, you know I'm always here for you."

"I know." He shifted slightly, letting himself relax in her embrace. "Can we stay like this for a little bit?"

Her shoulders shook with obvious mirth. "Whatever you want."


	13. Arc I: Chapter 13

**Longest chapter yet, and I got it done on time! I'm pretty proud of myself right now! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorite the story. As always, enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy!**

* * *

The reception he received walking into Port's class was similar to how it was in Professor Peach's. This time, however, since Yang accompanied him, his peers decided to keep their voices low so he couldn't overhear them. That suited him just fine since it seemed the rumors surrounding him were nowhere near to being quashed. In fact, there might have been more people engaging in such a discussion than earlier.

He slid into the aisle where Ren and Nora, and Yang took the row behind him to be with her team. For once, the blonde teen was appreciative that Vale could be under siege and Port wouldn't learn of it until he finished his lecture. The duo welcomed him in a hushed tone; he greeted them back with a small grin, noting his partner's absence. At least now he understood where her silent treatment was coming from. Sure, he still thought it unfair but knowing was half the battle. So, what could he do? He doubted even if he begged on his hands and knees that Ozpin would consider reinstating him as a leader.

Time slowed to a trickle as Professor Port steadily droned on. What had once been relief of sneaking in undetected turned to sheer boredom. Feeling what little sanity he had left slipping, the boy took out his notebook and began to doodle. With flourishes of his pen, a scene unfolded on his paper. Crudely-drawn Grimm were being slain by a hero that bore a striking resemblance to the artist himself. He lost himself in this world of make-believe, and when the bell did ring, he felt somewhat disappointed. That had been the most relaxed he'd felt in a while.

Lazily getting to his feet, the boy asked, "Do you two want to grab—"

He trailed off upon noticing Russel stalking up the stairs, two at a time, toward him. The member of Team CRDL felt no qualms about pushing through groups of students standing idly in the walkways to accomplish this either. The way Nora and Yang tensed up told him they had also noticed Russel approaching, and that diplomacy had already been thrown out the window. It was only a matter of whether the fool would have his legs broken or lose a row of teeth.

"Hey, I heard about your match on Saturday. Who knew you were the kinda guy to—"

Yang's pupils flipped from purple to crimson like a kill-switch. "Better shut the hell up!"

Jaune's mind whirled about thinking of ways to ensure his friend didn't land herself in detention. Ruby, having much the same idea, grabbed her sister by the arm to prevent her from flinging herself across the table to get to him. Meanwhile, Nora echoed a similar sentiment to Yang's from beside him, while Ren attempted to reel her in.

Russel somehow found the balls to snort at the enraged brawler. "Make me, bitch."

There was that smirk of hers. "Gladly."

Cardin Winchester chose that moment to bound up the stairs and forcefully spun his teammate around. Russel's snarl morphed to an uncomfortable grimace in mere seconds. Cardin towered over him, his mouth firmly set in a frown. "What have I told you 'bout picking on Jauney-boy? You better apologize to these fine ladies"—Yang huffed at his bold statement—"and him. Otherwise, training's gonna be a real pain the ass today."

Now, Jaune had previously observed a Team CRDL training session at the insistence of its leader. The entire premise of the regiment consisted of Cardin swinging around his mace and battering his teammates until there Aura dipped below the predetermined parameters. It looked ineffective, it looked brutal, and it looked like something nobody would willingly volunteer for. So, the swordsman had no idea, or desire, to learn how such training could be any worse.

Neither did Russel, apparently. Audibly gulping, he turned his attention to the three he had been told to apologize to. "I'm sorry." He glanced over at Cardin, noticing the glare still etched on his face. "It wouldn't happen again."

Jaune blurted out, "We accept your apology" before Yang or Nora could reignite the argument. With shaky steps, Russel stomped away to where his friends were waiting for him. They howled with laughter at how Cardin had manhandled him, earning a punch in the shoulder for each of them. Not that it deterred their amusement in the slightest.

Cardin groaned at their immaturity. "Sorry 'bout that, Jauney-boy."

He chuckled. "No problem. Thanks for stepping in."

"Least I could do," he said.

"Yeah, 'cuz what he really needs is a good beat-down," Yang mumbled under her breath.

Cardin arched an eyebrow but refrained from saying anything. He placed a heavy hand on Jaune's shoulder. "We still good to hit the gym on Saturday?"

"Sure thing."

"Great. See ya then." He threw up a backward wave, barking commands at his team to get going, lest they be late for their next class.

Weiss, who had been content in ignoring the entire confrontation, still felt the need to add in her two cents. "I cannot believe you hang out with someone so uncouth."

Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "He's not so bad once you give him a chance."

In all honesty, the boy was surprised Weiss would be the most critical of Cardin. They both had quite a bit in common, hailing from prestigious families that held impossible expectations for their heirs. Another parallel was how the two started at Beacon with a clear bias against the Faunus, but now they were some of their biggest advocates. Advocates in the sense of throwing money at the problem or threatening physical retribution. In other words, their hearts were in the right place.

He was pretty sure, anyway.

Jaune fell in line beside his former teammates as they prepared to embark to their final class of the day. And then it was on to…

* * *

Block. Stance. Parry. Sidestep. Strike.

Again and again, he carried through the motions. A thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead and arms, but there was no time to rest. Jaune had to focus. The taskmaster critiquing his every move would gladly put him in his place if he slipped up. It was a sadistic method of training, just like the bombastic blonde running it. Still, in a training room filled to the brim with the latest Huntsmen practice equipment, Jaune was stuck swinging his sword through the air like an idiot. Thankfully, it was vacant in there except for one girl, but she was so engrossed in her own routine that she failed to pay any attention to them.

Didn't make him feel any less stupid, though.

This continued on for several minutes until he lost his grip on the hilt of Crocea Mors. He attempted to regain his grasp by widening his stance and pushing the sword against his thigh to stabilize it. He knew even without an outsider's perspective how ridiculous he looked. Recognizing his failure for what it was, he spun on his heels to face Yang, fully expecting to be met with a shotgun blast.

He was greeted with a sigh instead. "Jaune, you sure you're up for training right now? You seem distracted."

The blonde swordsman shook his head. "I'm fine. It's just"—he put a finger to his chin, figuring the best way to explain how he was feeling—"I guess I feel like this is all a waste. Like during my last match, my mind went blank and I completely forgot everything we went over."

Yang flipped her hair over her shoulder. "That's normal. We've only been practicing this new style for about a week. If you had already mastered it to where you could use it in a match, you'd be a genius. So, let's keep going, ok?" The boy groaned but nodded, nonetheless. "And remember, the Foundations of Signal are focused on being defensive. Don't overextend yourself with either your weapon or your shield. You have to wait for your opponent to screw up and capitalize on it."

"Capitalize, huh? That's a pretty big word for you," Jaune commented.

"Care to say that again?" Her voice was sugary-sweet, but his survival instincts told him it would be best to shut up. He'd like to leave in one piece when all was said and done. Falling into his stance to continue practicing, he faltered when he noticed Ruby stumble into the combat room, her gaze cutely transfixed on all the equipment. Knowing her, she was likely storing away different way to utilize them to benefit herself and her team. The thought made him smile, as Yang called out to her sister. "Hey, Rubes. What's up?"

The girl pouted at the nickname, not that it deterred the blonde brawler in the slightest. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue. Oh, gotta use that one on Blake later!"

Jaune wasn't sure that was a great idea, but hey, what did he know?

She huffed. "Very funny. Actually, I stopped by to give this to Jaune."

Jaune immediately looked to what she had in her hand. Was that...?

"Yep," she popped the 'p' with a huge grin on her face, "it's X-Ray and Vav 1st series, #54."

"How'd you get it? That must've cost a fortune."

Yang's forehead wrinkled in contemplation. "Ruby, you didn't beat up some rich nerd for that, right? I mean, I'm sure Jaune appreciates it and all, but isn't there a better way to get his attention?"

The pale girl's cheeks darkened in response. "Weiss bought it for him!"

His heart hammered in his chest. Maybe he heard her wrong, but it almost sounded like he had a shot!

The sycthe-wielder turned back to the expectant boy. "She said not to get the wrong idea. This is only a get-well gift." She moaned at his blank stare. "In other words, she still hates your guts."

Damn, well there went that theory. Somehow that didn't bum him out as much as he thought it would. While previously most of his waking thoughts had been filled with Weiss, in the past few days he hadn't even thought of her once.

Weird.

Ruby handed him the comic book, which he accepted with quiet appreciation. His hand trembled, but he brushed it off as being due to nerves. It wasn't every day, you became the owner of such a limited-edition comic book.

"Try not to implode there," Yang teased.

He did what any mature person would do when harassed with such provocation; he stuck his tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.

"Well," Ruby started, "I better get going. Got to train for the Vytal Festival and stuff."

Yang grabbed her by her beloved cloak before she could dash away. "Hold up, sis. You were going to do some secret training without me. I'm hurt!"

Jaune thought the fake pained expression she had on her face really sold the whole thing; Ruby did not.

"Jeez, older sisters are the worst." Wasting no time, the girl wearing the red-cloak dashed off, leaving them in the dust.

Yang's expression morphed into one of genuine hurt. "Rubes, wait for me!"

And with that, he supposed his training had come to an end. Silly him to have forgotten her complete obsession over Ruby, to where she would drop everything to attend to her.

Still, Ruby bolting away with her incredible speed reminded him that he made plans to learn more about his semblance. He shot Ruby a quick text, figuring she had the best chance of getting Weiss or Blake to help him compile research material. Then, he decided to head back to the dorm room (all the way on the other side of campus).

A shower sounded good right about now.


	14. Arc I: Chapter 14

**Sorry that this is so late. I've been under the weather, but still had to go to do my student teaching. By the time I got home, I didn't want to do anything but sleep, which is what I ended up doing. Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed. Special thanks to for the reviews from justjustin3099, Death the End, and Josh Spicer! It's funny because if I hadn't plotted out this entire arc already, I could just steal the predictions/ideas left in the comment section and arrive at pretty much the same result! Hopefully, by the time we get around to Arc II, the story-line will be a lot less predictable. Speaking of which, this arc is mainly what I'd like to think of as set-up for the later ones. That's why this arc is so heavy on the drama and lacking in adventure (for now). Enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy!**

* * *

Avid comic book collectors would be seething with rage if they could see the way Jaune casually flipped through the pages of his newest addition, smudging it with grubby fingerprints as he went. Putting it in a plastic sleeve to never look at again just didn't seem like an appealing option to him, though. After all, comics were meant to be read and enjoyed.

A knock at the door startled him out of the incredible adventures of X-Ray and Vav. He placed the book face down on his desk, further creasing the spine of the book. God, he was sure those collectors would be having an ulcer by now. Walking over to answer the door, he had no doubt it was either Ruby coming over to discuss his text, or Yang to apologize for abandoning their training session. Imagine his shock when the door slid open, and it was neither of them standing there. Instead, the sight of his partner graced him.

Pyrrha refused to meet his eyes. "May I come in?"

"Sure."

He allowed her to shuffle past him, while he lingered in the doorway, having no clue what to do in this situation. Jaune figured this could go one of two ways. Either she was here to continue her tirade from earlier in the cafeteria or was here to extend an olive branch.

God, he hoped it was the latter. It had only been two days since she began to snub him, and, frankly speaking, Jaune was tired of it.

He plopped onto the edge of his bed, kicking at the tangled mess of blankets that had fallen to the floor. They unfurled, covering the comics and sketches cluttering the carpet. Had the swordsman known he would be having company, he would have tidied up a little. Not that he was certain how he managed to make such a mess in less than two days anyway.

While there was nothing he could do about it, he still could be a good host. "Make yourself comfortable." The blonde teenager motioned to the other bed, almost instantly regretting it. Trying to resolve their misunderstandings by having to shout across the room at each other hardly seemed like a solid strategy.

Thankfully, his partner—former partner, he had to keep reminding himself—was much more than a pretty face. And a great fighter. And an all-around wonderful human being. Well, obviously she had a lot going for her. Her smarts being one of those. So, it was no gaffe how she realized his mistake and took it upon herself to correct it. "Thank you, but I'll stand."

Jaune, however, had much less grace when presented with social situations. Thus, the boy decided it best to wait until she spoke again. She must have come over here with some goal in mind, and he figured it wasn't to continue staring at the posters she had seen hundreds of times already.

"It feels much homier in here."

"You think so?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hope my roommate feels the same way."

If he even had a roommate. So far, there had been neither hide nor hair of such a person. He was starting to think the previous tenant had just forgotten to take some of their belongings when they moved out. Pyrrha shifted her weight from one foot to the other, eyeing the bed he sat on.

Seeing her discomfort made him gather the courage to ask, "Want to sit next to me?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. "I'll take you up on that."

He scooted over, allowing the Mistral champion to sit on the foot of the bed.

"Jaune, let me start by apologizing for how I've been acting toward you. Ren had a talk with me earlier that helped me realize how unfair I've been. Actually"—she chuckled and scratched her cheek—"it was less of a talk and more of a scolding." The boy tried to picture Ren being anything but placid. It was futile. In all the time he'd never known the young man to raise his voice to anyone. Even when Nora was being obnoxious, he would only sigh and lightly reprimand her.

The girl took a shaky breath and continued. "My whole life I've been placed on a pedestal, and I've hated every second of it. It's lonely at the top. But then you came along. You had no clue who I was, and you didn't care. You treated me like a normal girl. A normal girl with normal knees."

He couldn't help but snort at that one. "You've been spending too much time with Ruby."

She laughed, flashing her dazzling smile. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, because of you, I was able to make friends for the first time in my life." He opened his mouth to argue that her making friends had nothing to do with him, but the Mistral native held up her hand, silencing him. "Let me finish. I know that crediting you with everything good in my life is ridiculous, but it's what I did. I did to you what everyone had done to me. I put you on a pedestal, and in doing so, I placed my ridiculous expectations on you. So, when Ozpin decided to remove you as leader, I was upset. I took it out on you because it seemed like you were..."

When his partner paused to find the right words, Jaune took the chance to speak. "It seemed like I was alright with it?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "I was pissed. I'm still pissed about it all, but I tried to play it cool for you guys."

"I know you did, and I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner. Of course, you wouldn't be happy about being kicked off our team. I was so blinded by my own expectations of you that I didn't see how impossible a situation you were facing. What were you supposed to do against the headmaster's orders? Especially when you were already struggling with your Semblance and everything else."

Jaune could only nod in agreement. Her words were true, apology sincere, yet there was still something that hung in the air between them. Did he just need to accept her apology? No, there must be more to it than that. He needed to show her that no hard feelings lingered between them, and actions always spoke louder than words.

The blonde teenager wrapped the girl up in his arms, feeling her tense up against him. Her face turned a brilliant shade of red, and he worried he had crossed a line until she tentatively hugged him back. This was a far cry from how he imagined them making up, but it was nice regardless.

After a while, he pulled back, hands still placed on her shoulders. "Look, Pyrrha, I don't care about any of that. I don't want any of this hanging over our heads. So, answer me one thing." She nodded solemnly. "Even if we're not on the same team, will you still be my partner?"

Blinking owlishly at him, she replied. "You already know that answer, and that'll never change."

"That's enough, then. Don't say any more."

They held one another's gaze—refusing to look away, refusing to blink. For if they did, their rekindled connection might slip away. The sound of the door sliding open and a startled 'oops' shattered the spell.

Jaune broke eye contact first, glancing over to see what was causing such a commotion. His first observation was that the 'what' was more accurately a 'who.' A girl with tan skin stared back at him with a single gray eye, the other one covered by her black beanie. She couldn't honestly see too well like that, could she? He didn't dare ask, knowing full well the question was rude. Under his intense scrutiny, she began to fidget with her scarf, pulling it tighter over her red and white jacket. Noticing he was making her uncomfortable, he looked away, a ghost of an apology across his lips.

Once again, his partner came to his rescue, having plenty of practice at negotiating polite conversation. "Hi, there. What can we do for you?"

"I-I'm so sorry for interrupting. I can come back another time!"

Well, that was a bit of an overblown reaction if you asked him. Not that anyone did, but even his partner looked taken aback. She shook her head, a smile that was a tad too forced appearing on her face. "You're not interrupting anything. Jaune and I were simply hanging out"—Jaune had to hold in a chuckle at how odd the sentiment sounded coming from her—"when you came in. I'm Pyrrha, by the way, and I don't think I caught your name."

The girl fidgeted, glancing between her and the doorway. Was she going to bolt? "My n-name's May. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Pyrrha said. "So, since you have a key, I can assume this is your room?"

"Yes." No stutter there. "And you're my roommate, then?"

"I'm afraid not. That would be Jaune actually."

The boy waved in acknowledgment, but she hardly spared him a glance. "Oh..."

Was she disappointed?

Perhaps he had a glum look on his face because she started flailing her hands around like she was possessed by a Geist. "Sorry, no offense or anything! I was just hoping I'd be rooming with a girl." May fidgeted with the drawstrings on her sweatshirt. "I get nervous around g-guys."

The champion fighter's diplomatic mask fell away upon realizing the state of the other girl. She moved close enough to grasp her hands within her own. "You have nothing to worry about. Jaune is a perfect gentleman."

Did he mention recently that his partner was a godsend? Because she totally was.

This seemed to assuage some of her fears. She nodded in understanding, taking a peek over the taller girl's shoulder. He waved again, and this time she mirrored his action.

While there unexpected meeting hadn't gone on without a hitch, it at least seemed to be going better. Not due to any part he played. In fact, had he been here to handle the situation alone, May would have been the second female to run away from him today.

Not a great feeling if he was being honest.

"While I would love to stay and chat, I do need to get going. I hope both of you enjoy your night." She threw a stiff wink in his direction. The swordsman winked back, understanding her intent.

When Pyrrha departed, Jaune sensed the immediate change in the mood of the girl, who was currently trying to hide her face in her scarf. To little avail, he may add, with her dull eye still peering over at him.

Jaune pushed his bangs away from his forehead. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

May took a single step closer.


	15. Arc I: Chapter 15

**The response on the last chapter was fantastic! Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed (we pushed past 100 followers on this last chapter). Also thanks to Josh Spicer for the continued support, and iron-dragon-slayer for leaving such a nice review. One quick update is that I will be updating this story on Sunday now. I know I keep changing around the date, but I believe this will work out best. It gives me time to catch up if I need to and allows for the best chapters I can write. Without further ado, enjoy the next installment of Pointed at the Enemy!**

* * *

Even over the cacophony of the school cafeteria, Nora had a voice that could be heard without straining the ears. He wasn't sure if that was an asset or a deficit, but he was sure that he picked the wrong person to first introduce May to. The obvious choice would have been to have her meet Ruby since they likely had tons of things in common. Social awkwardness and combat boots being just two of them. Yet, he didn't have that choice, with Team RWBY off galivanting who knows where. All of this led up to Nora latching onto the girl and launching into an interrogation in the name of protecting his innocence.

From what, he had no idea, but that was Nora for you.

"Let me get this straight"—Nora leaned in closer to May. She cowered back, but the other girl either didn't notice or didn't care. One could never tell with the hammer-wielder—"Your team is back in Vacuo, and you just happened to come here early and get paired up with our teammate?" Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

Ren watched the scene with barely concealed mirth. Perhaps, because for once, the shoe was on the other foot. Meanwhile, his partner looked torn between swooping in and helping or letting the girl get accustomed to Nora's unique brand of crazy.

May gulped. "Y-yes, but like I said, my team leader should be arriving on Friday."

Her scowl deepened. "And what about the rest of your team? Huh?"

Ren decided it had reached the point where he needed to reign her in. "That's enough, Nora. You're scaring her...and me."

She rounded on him. "Aw~, but Renny, I wanted to find out more about her. I really like her!"

Four pairs of brows shot up simultaneously. If that was how she showed people she liked them, may the gods have mercy on her enemies. Jaune shuddered while Pyrrha patted the hand of the Huntress-in-training beside her. He had thought she would flinch away, but she actually calmed under such an action.

His sole male teammate shook his head, recovering before the rest of them could. "Sorry about her. I'm Ren, by the way."

"N-n-nice to meet you." There was a big stutter there since Ren was clearly a guy. Well, that was up for debate according to Beacon's rumor mill.

Ren's partner decided to remind everyone of her presence. "And Ren and I are together, so don't get any ideas." She glanced shyly at the boy in question. "Well, not together-together, but still _together_."

Jaune could feel his IQ dropping, and May appeared to be confused too. "Right, I'll k-keep that in mind."

"You'd better."

A little wave came from the champion fighter beside her. "Hello again. We met last night, but I'm Pyrrha, in case you've forgotten."

"I remember."

"Great!" Nora chimed in once more. "Since that's the case, we have to include my new BFF in our video game nights, and our team training, oh, and we need to get her started on the choreography for our dance routine."

Before she had a chance to escape, the energetic girl spun May around and started an impromptu two-step dance. While Ren and Pyrrha tried, and failed, to hide their amusement, the rest of the first-years largely ignored them. Nora's eccentricities were hardly the best-kept secret of their academy. Sure, a few of the early transfer students stared at their small group in sheer awe—Jaune briefly pondered whether any of them were assigned to report this back to Ironwood—and others stared at him in contempt, but they were mostly free to do whatever since no one would call them out on it.

Not when such a challenge would go answered by either Nora Valkyrie or Pyrrha Nikos.

Jaune was still certain he chose the wrong person to initially introduce May to, he didn't miss the corner of her mouth twinge upward a smidge when Nora twirled her around. And wasn't it just like Nora to so quickly grow on people too.

* * *

Jaune stared at his Scroll, hardly believing his luck. Or rather his complete lack of it. A moment ago, he had gotten off the phone with the Headmaster of Atlas. The very same man who saw fit to watch over him like Big Brother. And now he had asked the swordsman to meet with him. Actually, asked was a rather polite word. The general had all but demanded his attendance, in a flurry of pleasantries and thinly-veiled unpleasantries, leading up to his current escapade under the waning moonlight.

Sneaking out hadn't been an issue at all. After Jaune received the call, he explained to May that a friend had called him and wanted him to meet up at the library. With memories of meeting his other friends (i.e. Nora) fresh in her mind, she decided that it was well past her curfew. While she had misunderstood his intention as inviting her along, he played it off, since it was to his benefit, telling her that there would always be next time; she very cautiously agreed with such an assessment.

Now, he neared the pier—the official meetup spot chosen by the general himself. He wasn't sure whether it served some strategic purpose, or if he simply enjoyed a seaside view. Jaune felt it was the latter since he doubted having a low-vantage point would prove useful.

Was that telling of what General Ironwood had in mind for their meeting? The man had called for him by Scroll, which was hardly a secure means of communication. Did that mean the man had no qualms about who knew about their meeting?

He supposed it mattered little since he'd arrived already.

When he stepped onto the pier, he half-expected for the headmaster to flip around and spout off some nonsense about the importance of having him under constant surveillance. What Jaune got instead was zilch, nada, and nothing. No acknowledgment whatsoever. While he must have been heard, considering his footsteps were hardly quiet under the creaking of the planks, Ironwood remained content to lean on the railing, staring off into the distance. Even hunched over, General Ironwood cut a rather opposing figure. At well over six-feet tall and built like an Ursa, he could see how the man commanded the respect of so many.

So many didn't include him, though. Not in the slightest. Especially if the man felt he could call him out here so late, and then waste his time.

Refusing to give in to whatever the man was playing at, Jaune decided to survey his surroundings. Even though the seaside view was beautiful, what drew his attention was the hillside and buildings overlooking the pier a little way off. Positioned on top of them were soldiers outfitted in white and a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Weiss. They had their weapons at the ready and trained to where Ironwood and himself stood.

Clearly, the general did not want any eavesdropping on them.

It was also clearly going be up to him to get the conversation rolling. "What can I do for you, _general_?"

If General Ironwood resented how Jaune spat out his last word, he didn't show it as he turned to address him. "Mr. Arc, good timing. Have you ever wondered how the moon shattered?"

Jaune felt the indignation he'd been feeling slip away at such an unexpected inquiry. Of course, he'd thought about it. Everyone did. And everyone drew their theories about it from somewhere, whether that be fairytales, or religion, or scientific research. In the end, no one could agree on a single source. The only thing they could agree on was that a full moon must have been beautiful.

General Ironwood shook his head, a rueful grin present. "Never mind. Oz must be rubbing off on me." He cleared his throat. "Let me start by stating that I am sorry to call you out so late. I realize you have classes tomorrow, and this must be quite an inconvenience for you."

Damn right it was! Still, Jaune nodded and allowed the man to continue.

"Rest assured, I am not here to threaten you or anything of the sort. I only wish to explain myself and put your mind at ease. See, I know even though I asked Oz to keep it a secret, he still blabbed that I would be watching you."

Jaune's breath hitched in his throat. So, Ozpin wasn't supposed to reveal that information to him? Did that mean the headmaster was more on his side than he had realized?

A sigh sounded from the headmaster of Atlas Academy. "I can tell from your reaction that you had no idea you were privileged to hear such secrets. So, while we are at it, here is one more. Consider it a sign of good faith. I was the one who forced Oz's hand in having you removed from your team. The intent behind that was to get you placed into a room with students from Atlas, who would keep me updated about you; however, it seems your headmaster managed to pull one over on me and assigned you to a different room."

Jaune was seeing red. This was a completely different type of anger than he felt during Ozpin's little spiel. He wanted to strike the person standing across from him. Hit him until he bled. Hit him until he promised to quit meddling in his affairs. Had he been in the right state of mind, he no doubt would have decided lunging toward a trained Huntsman was a poor decision. Especially when he took into account that this was a general of Atlas with a team of soldiers on standby.

The boy was not in the right frame of mind.

He lunged and immediately shots rang out. Most of them bouncing harmlessly off the planks, but one struck him in the side. It stung and would hurt like a bitch in the morning, but that didn't matter.

He had to get to him.

With a simple shake of the general's head, bullets stopped whizzing around him, allowing him to approach unheeded. He struck out with his right, which was instantly caught. A left hook fared no better. Jaune considered kicking the man until he noticed how wide his eyes had gotten staring into his own.

"Why is there…?"

Deciding on a new course of action, he dug his heels into the ground and roughly pulled his arms away. He tumbled indignantly to his knees, bangs shielding his face. "Fuck you."

"Excuse me?"

"I said _fuck_ you. We're done here."

The boy struggled to his feet, ignoring any pleas the man made to convince him to stay. He hoped the soldiers could see him glowering at them as he limped away.

* * *

Mr. Arc had been bleeding from his eyes. That much was a fact. What James also knew was that his aura was no more. When he caught that first blow, his aura had plummeted to nothing. He was fortunate that the next blow was caught by his prosthetic arm, or there was no telling the extent of the injury he would have incurred. Sparing a brief glance at the arm confirmed his suspicions. The hand was only completely detached from the rest of it, only hanging on by a small bundle of wires. He would have to have his technician repair that when he returned to his ship. Doubtless, it would raise questions that James neither had the answers to nor wanted to answer in the first place. He would also have to order Winter and those soldiers to remain silent about this incident as well.

What a mess, he had created for himself.

"Are you alright?"

He sighed before turning to his specialist. "That went about as well as I expected."

She closed the remaining distance between them, glancing between the face of her commander and the sea. Finally, she settled upon watching the waves lap up against the shoreline. "You should not have told him about his team. You knew from Ozpin that it was a rather sore spot for the boy."

"To be frank, Winter, I am rather tired of secrets."

"Well, sir, if I may be so bold…"

"You may. Speak your mind freely."

"What exactly was the purpose of this meeting?"

He barked out a grisly chuckle. "That is something I cannot fully answer. I suppose it served as nothing more than an admission of my own guilt." A loud exhale came from him. "I wonder why everything has to be so gray? I only wanted to keep tabs on him to protect him and others. As much as I trust Oz, he has a propensity to value freedom over safety. While I can admire such a sentiment, we have powerful enemies out there who have killed for much less than the power he possesses."

She drummed her fingers against the railing and hummed. "You are a good man."

"I'm not so sure, Winter."


End file.
